Friday, January 1, 2010

Taking the Plunge (video)

*FYI: I have no clue who big belly tattoo man is

How did you spent your New Year's morning? Hung over in bed? Making a hefty list of resolutions to run more miles and eat fewer Twinkies? Getting your Betty shaped and colored?

This morning I did something I've never done before. Something that involved paying money to be very cold and miserable for a short time. Kind of like how we pay money to run races and find ourselves puking, crapping, crying and in pain. We do these things for the experience. We do it to make memories. We do it because we want to test ourselves in new and different ways. We do it because life just wouldn't be that interesting if we didn't do these things. But, most of all we do these things to have something to blog about.




My adventure this morning was to do the infamous New Year's Day "Polar Bear Plunge" at the Boulder Reservoir. The details are simple.
  1. Show up in 25 degree weather.
  2. Pay a registration fee (which goes towards the Alzheimer's Society, so I'm down with that).
  3. Get in a long line of people wearing bathrobes, bikinis, down coats, flip flops, tutus.
  4. Wait for awhile in your Snuggie until you're so stinking cold your daughter is whining her brains out and your feet are so numbed out you are contemplating dumping your Swiss Miss hot chocolate on them just for a few seconds of relief (hell, covering your feet in boiling liquid sounds better at this point than the pain and cold you are feeling)
  5. Observe the rescue divers get all outfitted and immersed in the 30 degree water in case someone goes into cardiac arrest. Hope it's not you who will need help.
  6. Watch people bounding into the reservoir in groups of 20. Hear them screaming. See them unable to breathe.
  7. Inch closer. Question why the eff you are doing this.
  8. Take off all clothes but your bathing suit. Hope your 12 year old son who is plunging with you doesn't die.
  9. Stand in the cold waiting for your cue to go.... (see me in purple bikini next to my son in the striped shorts)



Moments after emerging from this hell hole of freezing water (it is hard to explain just how cold it really was), Sam and I got in a luke warm and dirty hot tub. We didn't hang out long because I didn't want to start the new year with an STD. We be lined for our clothes and headed to the car. My feet were in bad shape = reynaud's syndrome and all:



The shivering didn't stop until I ingested one Grande Vanilla Latte and one huge bowl of steaming vegetable soup. All in all, some great mother/son bonding and the perfect way to jump start a new year of heart stopping adventures.


36 comments:

  1. That's so funny and so true- doing things to have something to blog about.

    There must be a sickness to describe this.

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  2. You're a stronger person than I will ever be!!! But, great memory with your son!!!

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  3. OMG - I have a friend at work that has done that the last couple of years. You would never catch me doing that. You are tooooo crazy - there are days in the summer when I wait to jump in the lake because it is a little cool - cool but not FREEZING.
    OMG - my teeth are chattering just thinking about it. burrrrrr

    Stay warm.

    Spiced rum and warm apple cider - best way to warm up!!!!

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  4. Crazy fun, girl! Your son will never, ever, ever forget that experience. You are one cool mom!

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  5. We DO NOT have that in common!

    What a 'cool' way to start the new year and your boy will never forget it.

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  6. Awesome way to start the new year! Great job!

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  7. Pay money to possibly freeze to death. Colorado = genius.

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  8. You are one hardcore Mama! I want to do this some day. I love to suffer!

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  9. How absolutely CRAZY! I love it. Looks like you guys had a blast.

    Winks & Smiles,
    Wifey

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  10. You. Are. Awesome.

    Wow. Just, wow!

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  11. I did this in the Chesapeake Bay once and you're so right...there are no words. at all. your son is too stinking cute!

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  12. The things we do to bond with our sons :) Very cool memory!

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  13. Ummm, you are absolutely CRAZY! I love it. I hope you and your son are cozy warm again.

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  14. -15 here. That water looked WARM!

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  15. Holy crap you one brave girl!! They had something similar like that here in Minnesota yesterday morning at Lake Minnetonka. Get back into your snuggie!

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  16. Way to go! I would NEVER be able to take the leap. And, I love that you waited in your snuggie- what a great use for it!

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  17. I don't know if I could do that! Very entertaining. Thanks for sharing. I may share this with my readers, it's so fun to watch!

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  18. Are you nuts or awesome? Awesome or nuts? Awesomely nutty? Whatever, that rocks. I could never and I think it is great that you did that! Woo hoo!

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  19. I like how you totally popped out of that water and ran for the shore leaving poor Son behind to fend for himself ...
    They had a plunge here, but it's not quite the same in California when the weather is sunny and 50 degrees ....

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  20. Oh.My.Gosh! Seriously? You and Sam are HARD CORE in my book! :-) I love how you're the first one in AND the first one out. LOL.

    That is a really cool event. Mmmm

    I think you need to plan a California trail running trip! :-) I'll be your guide.

    OR you can come out and do this: http://www.squaw.com/19th-annual-lake-cushing-classic :-)

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  21. Wow, you are so brave! But you're right, it's important to create memories, and I'm sure this is one experience that's hard to forget.

    I didn't plunge in ice cold water, but went for a run on New Year's Day.

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  22. Oh god girl. You are insane. 'nuff said.

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  23. You asked: didn't actually run at -15. It warmed up to -2 (windchill -12) and I did 3 SLOW miles.

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  24. That one is a big old tradition in mother Russia. Pretty cool you did it! The most hard core thing I've done is an ice bath...

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  25. polar bear plunge looks amazing slash freezing...no doubt my reynauds would be acting up in my hands and toes too (being that even walking into a food market makes it act up ahha)...and look at you rockin the bikini! I can only hope to look half as good as that when i have kids one day haha

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  26. So cool you did a video. Looked like fun in a crazy masochistic kind of way. Your boy is awesome! as are you! Happy New Year

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  27. OMG! You are crazier than I thought! So cool though you and the boy did it together! Happy New Year!!! :)

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  28. You totally crack me UP, woman!!! I can think of a thousand other "warmer" ways to bond with your son (btw, did you see my brother? He was going to go but I bet he weenie'd out)! Glad you survived to continue to write; I would truly miss your articles, they bring a laugh to me each and every time.

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  29. Jealous. Had plans to do this last New Year's Day in Atlantic City. Yet on that morning, it was some insane amount of degrees (single digits, I believe) and three of our group of four crapped out. Still on my to-do list one of these years. Love that you did it. Happy New Year!

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  30. omg wow - you are nuts!! but very much awesome at the same time :) happy new year!

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  31. Crazy! i can't imagine being that cold and doing that.

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  32. INSANE! i cant believe you did that-- however, its awesome too!! :) sounds like a great way to spend new years!

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  33. Insane! From a fellow Raynauds sufferer, you have balls to do that! I'll just watch the video with my nice cup of tea.

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